Biodiversity

FFEM supports conservation stakeholders, helping them network and have a greater say in institutional and policy decision making. We support protected area systems, which enable coexistence of diverse protection spaces and encourage ecological connectivity. To help these land and marine protected areas develop their activities over the long term, we mobilize sustainable financial resources by setting up dedicated trust funds or other innovative financial tools such as payments for environmental services (PES), public-private partnerships, and ecotourism. To strengthen their management, we encourage concerted, multi-stakeholder management methods that promote local ownership of projects.

FFEM promotes the structuring of biodiversity-based economic sectors, while following the principles of BioTrade throughout the value chain. We are especially attentive to putting the know-how of local people to good use, whether it be in conservation techniques or the manufacture of products derived from biodiversity. To identify and support these initiatives, we promote partnerships among civil society and public and private stakeholders. We make sure that any added value is distributed fairly, so that the structuring of these sectors benefits small-scale entrepreneurs and communities. This way, development and conservation go hand in hand.

FFEM is supporting the creation of a system of international and independent recognition of territories with “high biodiversity ambitions,” for example through labeling. This system seeks to orient all development actions toward biodiversity, by involving all the stakeholders and users of the territory. This may involve isolated territories where conservation produces co-benefits for economic and social development, for climate change mitigation and adaptation, for health, etc. It can also involve territories where conservation stakeholders are involved in innovative approaches.